"He should work on his fitness": Salman Butt's blunt take on Pakistan's Azam Khan

London [UK], May 31 : Following Pakistan's seven-wicket loss against England in the fourth T20I match, former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt asked wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan to work on his fitness or else it will be "very difficult" for him to play.
Azam displayed a sloppy performance against England in the fourth T20I match. He was dismissed for a five-ball duck in the 11th over by Mark Wood.
Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Butt said Azam's eyes were closed when he was dismissed by Wood. The former cricketer added Azam's fitness will always be under scanner.
"People are going to speak about him. The way he got out today, his eyes were closed while facing the short ball, and then his wicketkeeping. His fitness is always going to be under the scanner. I think he has to decide on his career. He should work on his fitness, otherwise, it is going to be very difficult for him to play," Butt said.
He added the Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter invites criticism for his fitness he carries.
"Everything related to Azam Khan will be criticized whenever he doesn't perform. This is because what he presents is open to criticism. He invites criticism with the kind of fitness he carries. He had problems against the short ball," he added.
Recapping the match, the hosts won the toss and decided to field first. The England bowlers were subjected to some fine hitting by the opening pair of skipper Babar Azam (36 in 22 balls, with five fours and a six) and Mohammed Rizwan (23 in 16 balls, with three fours), but the spinners Adil Rashid (2/27) and Moeen Ali (1/23) turned the pressure back on Pakistan batters, sinking them to 86/5. It was only a brief fightback by Usman Khan (38 in 21 balls, with three fours and two sixes) and Iftikhar Ahmed (21 in 18 balls, with two fours), that took Pakistan to 157/10 in 19.5 overs.
Besides Rashid and Moeen, Mark Wood (2/35) and Liam Livingstone (2/17) also did fine with the ball.
In the run-chase of 158 runs, England blew the visitors away with a powerplay assault by Phil Salt (45 in 24 balls, with six fours and two sixes) and skipper Jos Buttler (39 in 24 balls, with seven fours and a six), who made 78 runs in the powerplay.
A brief comeback spell from pacer Haris Rauf (3/38) delayed the victory for England. But Jonny Bairstow (28* in 16 balls, with a four and three sixes) and Harry Brook (17* in 14 balls, with a four and six), finished off the proceedings in 15.3 overs, with seven wickets left.
Rashid got the 'Player of the Match' award for his spell.